The Google Exec Who Was Locked Up In Egypt During The Arab Spring Leaves The Company For A Startup

Wael Ghonim, a Google exec who was locked up in Egyptian custody during the Arab Spring, has resigned from Google. Back in 2011 he was Google's Middle East marketing head, but had transitioned to Google Ventures, where he was an entrepreneur in residence, this year.

Here's his tweet announcing his departure from Google:

In 2011, Ghonim had traveled to Egypt to support protests against the regime of president Hosni Mubarak. After he set up a Facebook page to organize protests, he disappeared into Egyptian custody, where he was held for 11 days and interrogated. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of 2011 because of his role in sparking the Egyptian revolution.

Ghonim told Business Insider via email that the startup he's joining is still in stealth mode.